Thinking Definition and 397 Threads

How did you find PF?: Google Search In engineering, math, physics, and astronomy, which one has a fast development speed?

How did fundamental charge thinking develop?

But if I would assume that the efficiency of the carnot's engine is greater than the other engine and the carnot engine is driving the other engine backward as a refrigerator ,that would lead to the same contradiction hence disproving carbot's theorem! Is there something wrong I have done...

Dear all, after my PhD (fundamental physics) I started teaching. First math at a university, and after that physics at a high school (14-18 yrs, pre-university college). I love to teach and to communicate science in general, but I feel that an aversion towards education is growing since the...

Hi everyone, I was looking to develop my physical insight when I encountered this book by Lewis Caroll Epstein. For the crosswind problem, I couldn't understand the author's explanation; in particular, his concept of "artificial wind," and the force being larger in this case than the previous...

I was thinking about an idea of a calendar epoch based on the field of physics, and its thinking about which event should be used as the epoch so I have this idea and just wondering what you guys might think about it I initially landed upon two ideas, one pretty ancient and the other kinda...

I am reading an abstract algebra textbook and enjoying it. I am working through preliminaries some more to refine my knowledge on proofs with sets before really digging in. I understand that if $$X \subseteq Y$$ and $$ Y \subseteq X$$ Then $$ X = Y$$ This makes sense to me. However, the...

This guy presents a nice quick history of where evolutionary thought came from, starting well before Darwin. I thought it was nicely done.

I am not sure exactly which subforum this should be put into, and not sure what title to give this topic, but this video is interesting, called What animals are thinking and feeling and why should it matter. The video's link: .. .. Okay, some time passage, and I watched several more...

Do we really "think" our thoughts or are they just influenced by our experiences with no actual control given to us; or if we do take our own decisions then is the process similar to how computers return true/false values (if, else, else if, etc.)?

In a stressful situation, when you're thinking rapidly, time really does seem to slow down. Like "that was the longest 30 seconds of my life." Since thinking is made up of the firing of action potentials in neurons, could those events, in the brain, work with relativity to slow down personal...

When a ball is thrown such that it moves in a curved trajectory in the horizontal plane, it amuses me to think of its dynamics. In motion of a ball thrown upwards the force of gravity gives it a parabolic trajectory However when the ball is thrown to curve and hit a target, (in the horizontal...

This is an extended thinking portion in my textbook, and I would really like to know why this is. I'm not too sure what the answer to this is, and unfortunately, there is no answer to extended thinking in my textbook. I've been trying to figure this out for some time now and I'm completely stumped.

This is the article. This is not the usual sort of study I read but given the last 16 months, I thought I would post and see what pf guys thought of the method and conclusions. The line of best fit in the results seemed a bit random to me but let's see what you make of it...

I read this article History of James Clerk Maxwell and it talks about Maxwell and Dirac also at some point. It is said that Maxwell thought geometrically, and also Dirac said he thought of de Sitter Space geometrically. They say their approach to mathematics is geometric. I see this mentioned...

I just want to check if my thinking is reasonable. Since B,C and D are all dependent or fixed by the oscillator, A is the only factor to affect the amplitude of the motion at resonance or even throughout the entire process?

Hello. How to think in abstract spaces?Like manifolds? Or metric spaces? Or function or Banach spaces? Are they not just generalisations of the usual 2d or 3d Euclidean spaces we know? So they could be studied by generalising or extending things we know from 2d or 3d euclidean spaces and if they...

So I've been teaching myself how to code for the past year or so and I was thinking about doing freelancing. Since I have no experience is me being a freelancer feasible?

I started to do this, but I'm not sure my thinking is good.

I always tend to get confused when thinking about non-Euclidean geometry and what straight lines and parallel lines are. If I think of a sphere, I get how two people driving north would almost mysteriously intersect at the North Pole and how the angles of a triangle would not add up to 180...

Are there some fundamentals or elements for thinking mathematically? Thanks

This isn't a specific question, but more a case of trying to mitigate any potential confusion which might arise in the future. When drawing out curly arrows for mechanisms, and the like, I'm used to thinking about which electrons "belong" to certain atoms (in a book-keeping sense) in order to...

I am an old man now of 72 who has been a continual student of just about everything except notably mathematics and chemistry. To provide a frame of reference, I received a D in Chemistry, (who would want to memorize a lot of symbols in high school--give me a break!), a C in Physics, (all I...

Hi everyone, I am a final-year undergraduate in Physics. I actually created this account purely to ask for some advice. I have been considering pursuing a physics PhD ever since my first year, but my current experience in my final-year project (FYP) has been difficult and I'm wondering if this...

Hello everyone I've recently started a PhD program at a pretty respected university even though I wouldn't want to disclose the exact field. My background is in physics and electrical/electronic engineering (BSc in both, MSc in Electronic Engineering). After I graduated with my MSc I got hired...

Hello guys, is it possible to "see" the mean value theorem when one is only thinking of numerical values without visualizing a graph? Perhaps through a real world problem?

So many times we use tried and true methods to solve problems that we never see the more creative and fanciful solutions that are staring us in the face. The barometer story is one such example: http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~steve/astrophysics_07/webpages/barometer_story.htm Another is the Hades...

Summary: Do chemists think differently than physicists? And should I Change my subject in University... Hey guys, I'm asking myself this question in hoping to find myself in life… some advice and ideas would be really helpful. I'm from Europe and I'm actually studying chemistry. I still Need...

Hello all, thanks for reading my post! I'm posting as I need help with my problem solving and thinking approach. For the most part I can figure out how to set up the problem and what I need to find, but my problem lies in textbook questions that rely more on seeing a more math based approach to...

How can we explain our process of thinking by physics?

Homework Statement An oscillator consists of a block attached to a spring (k=400n/m). At some time t, the position (from equilibrium), velocity, and acceleration of the block are x= .100m, v= -13.6m/s, a= -123m/s^2. What is the frequency? mass of block? amplitude. Homework Equations position...

Folks usually point out that tidal forces make questions like the one I am asking below hypothetical at best, I understand that. I am taking as an axiom that a free-falling observer observes nothing unusual when crossing an event horizon. More strongly, the free-falling observer cannot detect...

Feynman Lectures 15-4 Transformation of time first para http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/I_15.html How is it possible that the moving clock slows down and also shows more time elapsed to the man outside?

I am reading "Multidimensional Real Analysis I: Differentiation" by J. J. Duistermaat and J. A. C. Kolk ... I am focused on Chapter 1: Continuity ... ... I need help with an aspect of D&K's definition of disconnectedness/connectedness ... ... Duistermaat and Kolk's definition of...

Hello all, I have recently graduated with a BSc in physics and have been accepted into the MSc program for Applied Physics. However, due to the job outlook for the position I actually want to do I am deeply interested in pursuing my second interest, which is, AI. Question: My main question is...

Grad school is *not* what I was hoping it would be. I wanted to study GR and was fortunate enough to get accepted in a program with an advisor who is a gravity theorist. I have the best fellowship awarded to grad students at my school. I passed all my prelims on my first try. My grades...

Hi all, I'm just home from a trip around the US and I've fallen in love with some of the beach towns just south of LA. I'm currently working as a medical physicist in Ireland. Two years ago I completed the UK medical physics training scheme and have UK state registration. Having done a search...

So, as one does, I have been pondering the nature of the universe and specifically black holes. I apologize for the rambling nature of this post...I haven't really put it into a coherent format because time is a bit limited. Also, English is not my first language and I apologize for any...

I've mentioned my admission to MS Nuclear Engineering in the University of Florida earlier. Thing is I am a foreigner. What with all the security most countries have surrounding nuclear technology, would I be limiting myself in the number of parties I can work with? I am aware I have other...

Hi everyone I was wondering does anyone know any good first year undergraduate textbook of 'introduction to mathematical thinking' for self-studying ? thks in advance

Has any thinking be done in applying evolutionary programs (cellular automata with a purpose) to fusion. It would seem that the current methods that can be applied are few. Evolution, itself, has been described as the dumbest way of realizing the smartest methods of achieving its goals...

So according to classical electrodynamics, an electron would produce an electric field that is a physical entity in and of itself. This field has momentum so when a test charge is placed within this vicinity, it would be affected by the field itself, not the electron. But what about the QFT way...

Here's a review I just posted on CourseTalk.com (a review site for online courses, including MOOCs) of "Introduction to Mathematical Thinking," which runs on Coursera: IN A NUTSHELL: This MOOC has excellent content, but the Coursera platform and absence of an instructor undermine it. DETAILS...

Joseph A. Gallian, in his book, "Contemporary Abstract Algebra" (Fifth Edition) defines an irreducible element in a domain as follows ... (he also defines associates and primes but I'm focused on irreducibles) ... I am trying to get a good sense of this definition ... My questions are as...

I have been thinking around the definition of a unit in a ring and trying to fully understand why the definition is the way it is ... ... Marlow Anderson and Todd Feil, in their book "A First Course in Abstract Algebra: Rings, Groups and Fields (Second Edition), introduce units in a ring with 1...

I have been thinking around the definition of a unit in a ring and trying to fully understand why the definition is the way it is ... ... Marlow Anderson and Todd Feil, in their book "A First Course in Abstract Algebra: Rings, Groups and Fields (Second Edition), introduce units in a ring with 1...

Hello. I'm actually taking Ph.D. course for plasma physics and I think I'll finish this course within this year. I took classes in quantum field theory and general relativity in last semester luckily and experience of these subject ignited a desire to study theoretical particle physics and...

There's no question that MWI is an important part of QM, whether we agree with it or not. And consciousness is essential for MWI, it can't be defined without it. For instance, Stanford Encyclopedia https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-manyworlds/#2.2 says: ***********************************...

We're often told that it's helpful to think outside the box. But what is the box we need to think outside of? And what happens when we think inside the box? I've been searching everywhere for the box but I can't find it. Has anybody got it? o0)

I'm a 15 year old sophomore in high school who absolutely loves physics (more of quantum mechanics and Einsteins theories of relativity and how it is incorporated into everyday life). I want to grow up and be a Physicist and that's all i would like to do because nothing fascinates me quite like...